It's Tuesday and time for a new challenge over at CAS Colours & Sketches. Shannon is hosting this month and our first challenge is a colour challenge: 

For my card today I decided these colours would be perfect to re-create those beautiful lilacs in the Inspired By challenge photo ... but I have no lilac stamps! So what to do? I decided to get creative - take a look:

Here's the low-down on today's card:

When Is A Hydrangea Not A Hydrangea? - When it's a lilac, of course! I decided that the die with the row of four-petal flowers in the Hydrangea Dies set would be perfect to create some lilac blossom too. I diecut a whole bunch of them in Fresh Freesia cardstock and added a little Fresh Freesia ink to the edges of some with a sponge dauber and added some Gorgeous Grape ink to others, along with a dot in the centre of each. 

A Stem Trick - The main thing that distinguishes a lilac blossom is its triangular shape. In order to get the shape I wanted, I used the berry die from the Poinsettia dies set and stuck two together to create a triangle shape, then added my petals to the berries. I love the way there is a hint of green peeking through between the petals, as it would with an actual lilac blossom in real life. I added a couple of Pierced Blooms leaves for some added extra greenery.

A Foray Into Stencils - I've seen so many wonderful examples of stencilling on cards recently I decided to dig out mine that I haven't used for ages and used an old one to create a background that mimics the shape of the Inspired By sketch to add some pale green dots, fading out from the bottom corner of my card. I finished with a sentiment from the Hydrangea Haven stamp set in Gorgeous Grape. Check out the detail on those blossoms - so pretty!

So what do you think? Did my hydrangea turned lilac tick the creative box? Do you ever look at your dies and see a different purpose for them?

Here is the visual summary of the key products used on today's project for you to pin for easy reference:

You can see all of my 'How To' summaries on my 'How To - Tips and Techniques' Pinterest board in case you've missed any. 

As a reminder, for our colour challenges, you must use all of the stated challenge colours. You may also use neutral colours; however, the challenge colours should be the most noticeable ones featured on your card. We use Stampin' Up! color names for reference, but you are welcome to use any other companies' products as long as you match the challenge colours as closely as possible.

Enjoy your day and I'll be back tomorrow with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

Edited to add: I was the winner over at Inspired By with this card!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

HYDRANGEA HAVEN BUNDLE (ENGLISH) (£48.50)	PIERCED BLOOMS DIES (£34.00)	POINSETTIA DIES (£33.00)	FRESH FREESIA A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.25)	SOFT SUCCULENT A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.25)
FRESH FREESIA CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.00)	SOFT SUCCULENT CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.00)	GORGEOUS GRAPE CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.00)	BASIC WHITE A4 THICK CARDSTOCK (£7.75)

Today I'm sharing a card using this week's sketch over at The Spot that was inspired by the gorgeous inspiration photo over at The Card Concept this week:

I thought the sketch layout would be perfect for a slimline card and whilst I don't have any lavender stamps in my collection currently, I was totally inspired by the purple tones for my hydrangea - take a look:

Here's the low-down on today's card:

The lavender purple tones were perfect for a hydrangea - I actually stamped my stem but diecut the flower head from a piece of the Hydrangea Hill DSP, adding a few extra pieces that I centred with some Gorgeous Grape coloured rhinestones for a little extra sparkle:

I mounted my hydrangea on a white panel diecut with one of the Ornate Layers Dies and used another piece of Hydrangea Hill DSP for the background that incorporated some blue tones, picking up on the blues from the gingham bow of the inspiration photo. I heat-embossed my sentiment onto a Misty Moonlight stitched banner and added a blue twine bow as per the sketch, with a piece of galvanised metal cardstock that I ran through a corrugated embossing folder beneath it - a nod to the lavender vase in the photo. I also added an outline hydrangea from the Suite Sampler hostess set to the inside of my card to finish:

And that, in summary, is how I created today's clean and layered card!

Here is the visual summary of the key products used on today's project for you to pin for easy reference:

You can see all of my 'How To' summaries on my 'How To - Tips and Techniques' Pinterest board in case you've missed any. 

Enjoy your day and I'll be back tomorrow with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

HYDRANGEA HAVEN BUNDLE (ENGLISH) (£48.50)	HYDRANGEA HILL 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 CM) DESIGNER SERIES PAPER (£10.75)	ORNATE LAYERS DIES (£34.00)	TASTEFUL LABELS DIES (£29.00)	BASIC WHITE A4 THICK CARDSTOCK (£7.75)
MISTY MOONLIGHT A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.25)	GORGEOUS GRAPE A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.25)	MOSSY MEADOW CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.00)	FLOWERS FOR EVERY SEASON RIBBON COMBO PACK (£9.25)

Today it's Sunday and time for this week's new challenge over at The Paper Players! It's my turn to host this week and I have a colour challenge for you to work with:

Today is Mothering Sunday or Mother's Day here in the UK and I chose my colour palette this week based on the products I wanted to use on the card that I was going to make for my Mum to celebrate this special day, specifically the Hydrangea Hill Mercury Glass Acetate which I was keen to incorporate into my card. I've lots of photos for you today and two versions of my card too, so get ready! Here's the first and original version of my card:

Here's the low-down on today's card:

Hydrangea Hill - My Mum is not particularly precious when it comes to flowers or gifts on Mother's Day, but she does appreciate a special card, so her card was the perfect opportunity to showcase the Hydrangea Hill Mercury Glass Acetate in Highland Heather, alongside other elements of the Hydrangea Hill Suite. I love the idea of these coloured foil acetates, but often find them trickier to use in practice. I think they make great frames or backgrounds though, so that's where I started with today's card. Measuring 21cm x 14.9cm (a sheet of folded A4) my card is larger than usual. I created an open window for my stamped sentiment (more on that below) and layered my frame with a scallop-edged border and a beautiful diecut hydrangea. Whilst the card above is my original card, and could actually be used for a special birthday too, I knew my Mum would want to see the words 'Happy Mother's Day' front and centre on her version - ever happy to oblige, I added an additional diecut sentiment in Highland Heather using the Word Wishes Dies to the front of my card:

Layers, Layers - Despite its rather simple appearance, there are lots of layers to my card: the mercury glass acetate and framed sentiment window, along with the layered diecut elements to my flower, cut with the Hydrangea Dies. I also added a twine bow and tag to my floral stem using other elements in the set:

How beautiful is that hydrangea die? I cut it out of Balmy Blue and sponged the edges in the same colour to add depth, then lifted the petal elements and carefully sponged the tips of the petals with Highland Heather to create that two-tone look so often seen with this type of bloom. The suite has some beautiful coordinating pastel pearls, but they were too large for me to decorate the centre of my flowers. Instead, I used my dark Highland Heather Blends marker and coloured some small basic pearl jewels that were just the right size - aren't they so pretty?

All About The Paper - I couldn't pass up the opportunity to use some of the beautiful Hydrangea Hill papers on my card today. The outside of my card only features the colours of my chosen palette, with a little of the Balmy Blue DSP visible through the window aperture, but the inside of my card also includes a little pink and some Gorgeous Grape on that hydrangea border paper; this paper is so perfect for additional hidden detail on the inside of the card, including my stamped message:

I also made a custom envelope from a whole sheet of 12" x 12" DSP, featuring the hydrangea flower heads and with a Highland Heather striped border on the flap:

This paper is simply too good not to use! I added a simple stitched scalloped rectangle to the front of the envelope to address it:

My card is going in the mail, so I packed it in a plain white envelope for mailing; I know my Mum will appreciate the extra pretty detail when she opens it though, so the double envelope is so worth it! I haven't seen my Mum in person for 15 months, due to ongoing restrictions in lockdowns and travel between Wales and England, however with the increasing rate of vaccination here in the UK, we shouldn't have too much longer to wait until we can all meet in safety once more.

Here is the visual summary of the key products used on today's project for you to pin for easy reference:

You can see all of my Product and 'How To' summaries on my 'How To - Tips and Techniques' Pinterest board in case you've missed any. 

Before you reach for your ink and papers, check out what our amazing team has created to inspire you this week:

You can see all of my 'How To' summaries on my 'How To - Tips and Techniques' Pinterest board in case you've missed any. 

I am looking forward to a special lunch cooked for me by my nearest and dearest, along with an afternoon bike ride if the rain holds. This is one of those days of the year that can mean many things to different people, so whether you are with your Mum or your offspring today, or whether you are missing your Mum because of Covid or other reasons, and for those who have perhaps lost a child or for whom motherhood is still to become a longed-for reality, I am thinking of you all and I hope you spend the day in a way that is meaningful to you.

I'll be back tomorrow with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used: 

HYDRANGEA HAVEN BUNDLE (ENGLISH) (£48.50)	HYDRANGEA HILL MERCURY GLASS DESIGNER ACETATE (£10.75)	HYDRANGEA HILL 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 CM) DESIGNER SERIES PAPER (£10.75)	BASIC WHITE A4 THICK CARDSTOCK (£7.75)	SNAIL MAIL TWINE COMBO PACK (£6.50)
BALMY BLUE A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.25)	OLD OLIVE A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.25)	HIGHLAND HEATHER CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.00)	PEARL BASIC JEWELS (£4.75)	HIGHLAND HEATHER STAMPIN' BLENDS COMBO PACK (£8.50)
LAYERING SQUARES DIES (£33.00)